Ready. Set. GO!!
I actually like the film with it's interesting concepts of how this powerful family owns different planets and use them for consumerism by "Harvesting" their resources and granting them infinite youth and immortality to feel like the most superior beings in the universe and if a sequel does get made, I would actually like to see more of these concepts to be explored more and the dialogue is well done when it comes to the exposition that's really easy to understand the concepts while not going too overboard like in The Matrix sequels. The visuals are breathtaking and yes, the gold color palette is overused but the unique combination of Renaissance architecture, Gothic art and architecture of Europe all make up for some beautifully looking worlds with a lot of unique practical effects on the make-up and wardrobe design. Simply put, Jupiter Ascending looks marvelous. The action was fun and while a bit too long, it is still satisfying with the Chicago chase being the best part while the music by Michael Giachinno is magnificent. The problems with Jupiter Acending is with the pointless romance between Jupiter and Cane that goes nowhere while some sub-plots have nothing to do with the main plot and ends with no resolution or satisfaction like the wedding plot with Jupiter and Titus that ends abruptly and we move on the next piece. Huh?! Also, the characters, while having interesting stories, aren't really fleshed out and they end up being forgettable especially Jupiter, who is supposed to be this woman with a big destiny of owning Earth but really shows no care for the title and wants to go home (basically, it's her whole character). The product placements are also bad with some of them being so blatantly obvious, my friend lost his mind during the Chicago chase sequence due to the "Chase" logo appearing in the film and the lack of screen time to the villains cause I thought they were interesting but the movie just doesn't have enough time to interact with them and the only one with more screen time is Balem but I still wished to see more of the Abrasax family interact with each other to see this "dysfunctional" angle it had on the characters.
Overall, Jupiter Ascending is a messy film but I am glad it exists cause it shows that filmmakers are still willing to sacrifice a lot of money and effort to make new IP franchise or original films despite not making money and received bad reviews. I would love for the Watchowski's to make an Extended Cut to Jupiter Ascending by adding 50 minutes of footage to include more character interaction, fixing up the dialogue and getting rid of the wedding sub-plot to improve the film's pace but that's just me.
